Give back

Volunteers picking up garbage on a beach.
(Photo: Brian Yurasits/Unsplash | Text: David/ArtisanEnglish.jp)

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WotD: Give back

We’ve all heard of the American dream.

It’s the way that, through hard work and determination, an American can start from scratch and become very successful.

The belief that anyone can achieve greatness is quintessentially American.

What many Japanese don’t know is that once Americans become successful, another quintessentially American phenomenon kicks in.

That is the desire to give back.

You may have heard the expression; it takes a village to raise a child.

Well, in the United States, it takes the entire society to raise a millionaire.

On the road to success, the people who helped and even those who doubted you have played a part in making you who you are today.

Americans who have benefitted from all that society has to offer then desire to return the favour.

They often do that by providing help or financial assistance to others.

Americans are the biggest philanthropists in the world.

The United States is number one in the world for donations to people in need.

Yes, a significant factor may be that America is not a social welfare society.

What Canadians pay in high taxes, Americans freely donate. 

They do this because they want to help others achieve what they have been fortunate enough to attain.

It all goes back to the maxim; it takes a village to raise a child.

American society is the reason why there are so many great companies from that country.

By donating millions of dollars to charity and good causes, successful and even not-so-successful Americans can help others.

Giving back is a way to return the favour for the benefits they have already received due to living in the most powerful country on earth.


Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test

This post is understandable by someone with at least an 8th-grade education (age 13-14).

On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 60.

The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.